Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 18:28:29 -0700
Reply-To: Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: California Inspection: Day 1
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Got up early today, it's the 6th of October, van needs to be registered by
the 10th.
Take the van (84 1.9WB) down to Bugformance in East San Jose, they got it
through Smog last time, let them do it again.
Walk up, ask the mechanic if he can get this through Smog. The story
begins...
Well, the Smog shop I used right down the alley here just closed up last
week, sold out to someone else. The doors haven't been open in a week or so.
Hmmm. well, do you know anyone else? There's another shop around the
corner, but I haven't talked to them about using their equipment yet. I'll
do that now.
I'll wait.
He's back.
He says he just put new equipment in and it takes two weeks for them to
certify it. He'll be up and running in a couple of weeks. If you haven't
gotten through Smog by then, bring it back and we will see what we can do.
OK.
I have a place I used in South San Jose, near where the ex lives. They are
nothing special but will run "off-line" for me to see where I am at before
hooking the machine up to Sacramento. I drive down, getting the van good and
hot, pull into the lot. There's a car on the machine, another one waiting. I
don't want to turn my bus off. So I walk up... there's a roller assembly in
the floor of the shop and a Denver boot type device on the non-driven wheel
of the car... hmmm. The operator hasn't a clue. The wheels are driving the
rollers, the thing is vibrating llike hell, and the tester is standing
there, scratching his head. Not a clue, I say. I ask the guy standing there
what's up? He says, that's my car and I've been here 45 minutes. And they
are no closer to being finished than when he drove up. And it cost 80 bucks!
Now I get it. I have majorly screwed up this time. By waiting past October
first, it looks like my van needs to be dyno tested by complete idjits. I
ask how long to the operator. He says an hour. I don't think so. I drive by
another "Smog Pro shop". How long I ask? Got an appointment? Nope. An hour
he says. I doubt it. Anyhow, I need to go to work, so I drive home, take a
shower and head off to the robots.
Not going to be a good week.
Stay tune for part two/three/xxx
tim in san jose
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